


The Chain

by PuckPip24601



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Doctor Meets Doctor, F/M, Will I ever stop writing 13 and 11 meeting?, probably not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:20:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24185026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuckPip24601/pseuds/PuckPip24601
Summary: “Who am I?” he exclaimed indignantly, hands flying about everywhere as he spoke, his head turning to his two companions as if to look to them for back up in the indignation and then he spun back, “I’m the Doctor. So, who is it? Which one of you said that you were me?” They stared for another few seconds, all not knowing what to do before Graham reached out a hand and hit his fist twice against the large metal piping that ran up the side of the room and up through the ceiling above. It gave off loud metal clangs and he called upwards, his voice hesitant.“Uh, Doc?” there was a thump and a curse from up above, the Doctor no doubt dropping something and her voice rang through, echoing through the metal chamber up above that she’d had to crawl into the look into the problem.“What is it? I’m a bit busy.” The man in the bowtie paused suddenly, glancing upwards at the hole in the roof where the metal grating cover had at one point been sat. Now just a hole into masses of wiring and ventilation and mechanical shafts.
Relationships: Amy Pond/Rory Williams, Eleventh Doctor & Amy Pond & Rory Williams, Eleventh Doctor & Thirteenth Doctor, Eleventh Doctor & Yasmin Khan & Graham O'Brien & Ryan Sinclair, Thirteenth Doctor & Amy Pond & Rory Williams, Thirteenth Doctor & Yasmin Khan & Graham O'Brien & Ryan Sinclair
Comments: 10
Kudos: 138





	The Chain

**Author's Note:**

> Are there a billion other things I could be writing right now? Yes
> 
> Did I write this instead? Also Yes

“Oo, the red ones are flashing again. That means something.” The Doctor stopped his mad dash around the console, skidding on the one foot as he caught sight of the three little red blinking lights at the edge of one of the panels.

“What do the red ones mean again?” Amy called over to him, head tilting as she leaned around to see him past the centre column, her eyebrow raised.

“Distress signal. I think. Maybe it’s just something needs oil? But, no, pretty sure it’s a distress signal.” He flicked a few buttons and then pulled the monitor over to himself to take a look at where it was coming from.

“Who needs help?” Rory asked, the man at another edge of the console, looking to him.

“It’s a transport ship. A Deceney colony. They were humans, millennia back but now a whole new species, travelling the stars. I know the Captain. Or I did. She knew me, had a bit of a different face back then, but, it’s a distress signal specifically for the TARDIS so she clearly thinks I can help with something.” He began to input the co-ordinates and twirled around to the take-off lever, “let’s go then! I’ll have to explain I’m me once we get there but that shouldn’t take too long. Geronimo, eh?” he beamed at them both and pulled the lever, laughing as the TARDIS lurched them near off their feet as she began to take them to the distress call’s origin.

“So, you met her once, why did you give her the ability to send a signal specifically to the TARDIS?” Amy asked him as she followed him outside of the TARDIS once they’d landed, Rory close behind her, closing the door behind himself.

“Well, I didn’t necessarily have to be the one to give her that.” At Amy’s unimpressed look he frowned, then shrugged and relented, “yeah okay, but I liked her. I gave Winston Churchill my number as well. Certain people in time and space I trust with that number, the ones I like.”

“Winston Churchill has your number?” Rory asked and this time is was Amy who laughed, skipping to link her arm through her husbands to pull him along, “you met Winston Churchill?” he asked her, eyes wide.

“Oh yeah, really nice. Really wants the TARDIS.” The Doctor smiled, watching them step ahead.

“Turn left up here Ponds!” Amy tossed up a hand to show she’d heard, and they did indeed make the correct turn at the end of the corridor.

><><><><><><><><><

“Captain Awalii! I got your distress call, what appears to be the problem?” the woman stood from her Captain’s chair, eyebrows drawing together in startled confusion as she looked over the three of them. The security bots stood at attention at the walls all suddenly switched to defensive mode, their hands raising and their palms opening for their blasters to appear. The Doctor was quick to throw his hands up, Amy and Rory quickly following suit and Awalii was quick to wave the robots off and step towards them.

“Who are you?”

“I’m the Doctor, and frankly I was expecting a less hostile reaction.” He began to slowly lower his hands as the Captain came to a stop in front him, eyes running over him. “You did send out the distress call, specifically to my ship, I figured you’d be expecting me.”

“But the Doctor is already here?”

><><><><><><><><><

“She said she was you,” something seemed to click in the Doctor’s brain at Awalii’s words, his face darkening for a moment and she continued, not looking at him as she lead them down another winding corridor, “I didn’t believe her at first, but she explain how Time Lords could change their face, and I’d always heard stories of it. Never believed that it was true. She had others with her, said they were her friends, that they were here to help as well. So, we showed her to the problem.” Awalii paused, her feet coming to a stop as concern spread across her face as she turned to address him, “and now you tell me she isn’t the Doctor? She described when we first met, just as you had. Why wouldn’t she be you? You told me time travel works strangely, perhaps she is a future version of yourself?”

“Impossible.” He shook his head, his voice lowering as he took a step closer to her, aware of Amy and Rory further up the corridor, trying to hurry to follow after them, aware that he had finite time to let this fact be known before they’d hear, “because Time Lords can change, yes, but they have a limited number of these regenerations. And I am on my last one. Once I die, there is no more changing my face. So, whoever this woman is, she isn’t me.”

Understanding dawned on the Captain’s face and he stepped back from her as Amy and Rory finally caught up with them. She straightened her shoulders, concern for her crew and people taking precedence.

“The engine room they were brought to is this way.”

><><><><><><><><><

“So, which one of you is going around claiming to be me?” the man in the bowtie raised a disapproving eyebrow as he looked between the three of them. The Fam all glanced amongst one another, all visibly confused, and he seemed to take their confused silence as an admission of guilt, “Don’t you know how dangerous that is? How stupidly unsafe a situation that puts you in? Those people out there are looking at you for help and I bet you have no way of helping anyway.” He sat his hands on his hips, looking for all intents and purposes like a strict teacher about to lecture them.

“Who’re you?” Yaz asked him first, eyes running from him over to the red headed woman and brunette man behind him.

“Who am I?” he exclaimed indignantly, hands flying about everywhere as he spoke, his head turning to his two companions as if to look to them for back up in the indignation and then he spun back, “I’m the Doctor. So, who is it? Which one of you said that you were me?” They stared for another few seconds, all not knowing what to do before Graham reached out a hand and hit his fist twice against the large metal piping that ran up the side of the room and up through the ceiling above. It gave off loud metal clangs and he called upwards, his voice hesitant.

“Uh, Doc?” there was a thump and a curse from up above, the Doctor no doubt dropping something and her voice rang through, echoing through the metal chamber up above that she’d had to crawl into the look into the problem.

“What is it? I’m a bit busy.” The man in the bowtie paused suddenly, glancing upwards at the hole in the roof where the metal grating cover had at one point been sat. Now just a hole into masses of wiring and ventilation and mechanical shafts.

“There’s someone here.” Ryan called up to her, his eyes still on the man in front of them.

“Who? Can it wait? My hands are full right this second.”

“Someone’s here and they’re saying that they’re the Doctor.” Yaz answered this time.

“What?”

“Well I dunno, that’s what he’s saying.” The man in the bowtie was watching the snappy conversation with immense confusion on his face. There was another series of thumps as the person up above got close to the exit and then part of a torso appeared, hanging upside down out of the uncovered maintenance shaft. Her back was to the bowtie wearing man and his friends, her eyes on her Fam and her eyebrows drawn together in confusion. She had shucked off her coat before going in and the chunky goggles she usually reserved for TARDIS repairs were pushed up to the top of her head and her blonde hair was hanging upside down just like she was.

“What?” she asked again, and Yaz pointed behind her towards the people watching them and the Doctor craned her head around, realisation dawning on her quickly as her eyes raced over her past self who was gaping at her, openly. “Was my chin really that big? You never think about it when you have it but… wow. Anyway,” she addressed him properly, her face starting to go red from hanging upside down for so long, “stay here a minute, I’m almost done. I answered the distress call already.”

“No, hang on-” the Doctor in the bowtie tried to splutter out a protest to stop her but she simply ignored him and clambered back up into the shaft.

“Doctor?” Amy questioned him and he whirled to her for a split second, spluttering for a moment before he turned back around stepped forward until he was underneath the maintenance shaft entrance, looking up, a bewildered wonder on his face.

“Right…” he trailed off, going quiet for a moment before he called upwards, “so…. You’re actually me?”

“Course I am. Distress call was broadcast out to the TARDIS, who else was gonna pick it up?” she called back, her voice bouncing off of the metal walls towards him.

“So… woman now?”

“Yeah.” She called back cheerily. There was a thump then she yelled, louder this time, “Yaz! Hit that button, now!” The woman in question dropping the plastic tubing she’d had stuffed into her arms earlier by the Doctor and rushed to a control panel on the wall. There was a big red button near the centre of it all and she smashed it with the centre of her palm. There was a deep rumbling, the station they were inhabiting began to shake, sending them all off balance but it eventually settled and there was a triumphant cry from up above. The Doctor in the bowtie twirled back to his own companions, eyes bright and excited as beamed at Amy, rushing over to her as he hissed out excitedly.

“I’m a woman.” He told her, pointed behind him towards the maintenance shaft, practically vibrating in excitement, “never been a woman before.”

“What are you on about?” Amy asked him, glancing over to Rory, both then staring at the Doctor like he was insane but he just jumped around for a second then whirled back when his future self began shuffling back towards the maintenance shaft entrance and dropped back through. She landed, crouched for a moment to recapture her balance but then stood up. Her blonde shoulder length hair was finally the right way down, and she was dressed in a light blue t-shirt with a rainbow stripe across the middle of her chest and bright yellow suspenders held up her navy blue trousers which stopped mid-calf leaving a gap for the silver socks with stars on them that were long enough to show above her black boots. When she reached for the greyish blue coat that Ryan held out, they got a glimpse of the silver earing that was hooked over her entire ear with little stars that dangled down.

“Good job Fam.” She praised her companions, pride in her voice as she pulled her jacket back on, before she finally turned to her past self and nodded to him, “hello,” then she leaned to the side to look past him to his companions and her smile turned soft, “hello Ponds.”

“Hang on, sorry, she’s you?” Rory asked the Doctor in the bowtie who nodded, still grinning brightly, clearly pleased as he looked his future self up and down.

“Yeah. Isn’t it great? Finally, a woman! Thought it was never gonna happen. Could’ve done without all the rainbows… but still!” she pouted, put out for a second at the dig at the rainbows, rolling one of her shoulders with a tug on her coat.

“Better than the bowties and fezzes.” She muttered back and he gasped indignantly, giving said bowtie a tug in response.

“Bowties are cool.”

“Said you, and only you.”

“You’re me.”

“And I’ve since learned better.” There was a moment where they both just stared at each other, and then they broke out in bright grins, sniggering like giddy kids for just a second and then her eyes widened and she twirled around to her companions, “Fam! Meet me! Past version of me.”

“I thought it was white haired Scotsman?” Graham stumbled out and she was quick to hush him with that.

“Ah, ah, spoilers, Graham. Different me.”

“Right. So, you really weren’t kidding about having been a bloke?”

“No.” she looked back to her past self and the Ponds, motioning to her own companions, “you lot! Meet my Fam! That’s Graham, he’s Ryan and she’s Yaz.”

“Fam?” the Doctor in the bowtie scoffed slightly in amusement at the term and his future self rolled her eyes and countered him with a raised eyebrow.

“Humany wumany.” She reminded him and he stared for a second before visibly relenting with a heavy sigh.

“Fair enough.”

“Hi, sorry,” Amy cut back in, eyes wide and voice snapping slightly as she whirled a hand around, “can we circle back to the bit where you’re a woman?”

“Yes?” his eyebrows drew together in a bemused confusion, “what of it, Pond?”

“You can do that?”

“Course I can.”

“Right. How?”

“Regeneration. You think gender’s a fixed thing for every species in the universe?” He reached up, playfully poking her forehead and she blinked in almost shock at the motion, “so closed minded, Pond, why do I put up with you lot?”

“So, you can just… change your gender?” Yaz asked, matching Amy’s expression of weirded out confusion.

“Course.” The female Doctor shrugged, “I did tell you that I’d been a man before.”

“It’s different having it in front of us, I guess.”

“Right, so… Time Lords just don’t do gender then?” Rory inquired hesitantly.

“Course we do. We can just be any of them.”

“Any of them?” he repeated, but clearly chose to just let that go with a sigh.

“How many faces have you had?” Ryan piped up asking and the two Time Lords looked to one another.

“Well, I’m on my 13th, technically” the Doctor in the bowtie started, an expression of contemplation on his face as he thought back, “though technically two of those were the same face, so, 12?”

“14 then, but technically 15 regenerations so far,” the future Doctor said, smiling with a shrug.

“You don’t half go through them, then.” Graham quipped and they both shrugged.

“Considering then I’ve only been near death enough to have to regenerate 14 times in almost 2400 years, I think I’ve done pretty well all things considered.” Graham visibly relented on that one with a slight nod of his head and a little passive hand motion. The Doctor’s past self took in a heavy breath, staring at her.

“2400. That’s old.”

“Yeah it is.” They stared at one another then all of a sudden, they were all tossed off of their feet as the ship veered violently to the left and began to shudder.

“Doc, I thought you fixed the engines?” Graham asked, struggling to his feet once the shaking finally abated.

“I did. That wasn’t the engines.” She said, her mouth pressed into a grim line.

“Then what was it?” Rory asked, helping Amy to her feet with both hands.

“It felt like- Woah!” The ship rumbled again, and they were thrown about again, only the Time Lords managing to stay on their feet, “we’re being attacked!” As if to punctuate her point there was a series of explosions in the distance and at once both Time Lords were sprinting towards the doors.

“Awalii!” the younger Doctor called out and the older one called out over her shoulder as she followed him out the door.

“Come on you lot! Get a shift on!”


End file.
